Tool for removing the rollers of balance-wheel staffs in watch-movements.



- A. F. ROBBINS. TOOL FOR REMOVING THE ROLLERS 0F 'BALANGB WHEEL STAPFS TN WATCH MOVEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1909.

Patented Dec. 2'7, 1910.

,/NVENTOR ALBERT fiRoBa/Ns A rromvav rm: NORRIS PETERS co., wnsnmormv, 11c.

a citizen of the United tinrrn ear i ear r.

ALBERT F. ROBBINS,. 0F WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOOL FOR REMOVING THE ROLLER-S Ol BALANCE-WHEEL STAFFS IN WATCH- MOVEMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2'7, 1910.

Application filed June 2, 1909. Serial No. 499,802.

To all whom "it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. ROBBINS, States, residing at l the city of lValtham, in the county of Midl dlesex and State of Massachusetts, have in l vented new and useful Improvements in l Tools for Removing the Rollers of Balancel W'heel Staffs in VVatch-h lovements, of which l the following is a specification. I This invention relates to tools for removj ing the roller, so called, of balance-wheel staffs in watch-movements. j The tool of this invention comprises, in substance, a rotatable head held on a suit- I able support, a plurality of holders each suitable to hold a balance wheel staff with i its balance-wheel and roller and present the same for the removal of the roller from the staff and severally mounted on said rot-a- I table head and projected therefrom with their axes parallel with each other and with j the axis of the head and at a corresponding distance from the aXis of said head, and a sliding ejector-rod suitably mounted and arranged for movement along an axial line. coincident with the axial line of one holder of said holders placed in proper position therefor, and all otherwise substantially as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In addition to the above thetool of this invention embraces, in its detail construction and arrangement, other features of importance and advantage, all as hereinafter fully appears.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, is illustrated, on an enlarged scale, a tool embodying all the j features of this invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing oncj holder with a balancewheel and its staff and roller in it in position to be operated on to separate the staff from the roller, or in other words, as commonly spoken, to remove the roller from the staff. Fig. 2 is an elevation at one end. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section, on dotted line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view I of a holder detached and Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the holder, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical section, in detail, on dotted line 66, Fig. 3.

In the drawings, A is the supporting post or standard; B is the rotatable-head or disk; C, G are a series of the tubular-holders for l balance-wheel staffs and rollers; D is the sliding horizontal plunger-rod for ejecting a stafi from its roller, that is, removing a roller from a staff; and E is the means for operating or sliding the plunger-rod or ejector D.

The supporting standard A consists of a circular base-plate A which is continued upwardly in a central post A screw-threaded, at its upper end-portion, and thereon having rigidly screwed a horizontally extending tubular and open-ended cylinder or barrel A F is a horizontal cylindrical rod which is arranged to be free to be turned or rotated in and to project from the opposite open ends of the barrel A This rod F, at one projecting end, has an axial screw-threaded stud-projection F and on this stud is axially screwed the rotatable disk or head B, thus placing the head B in a vertical position with one side face E the face the farther removed from the barrel A exposed, and the other side face against the adjacent open end of said barrel A.

The projecting end F 3 of the rod F and which is at the opposite end thereof to its projecting end F has a rotatable sleeve E and this sleeve has a peripheral horizontally and laterally projecting cam-rim E which lies and works against the open end A of the barrel and is confined thereto, and so as to have suitable frictional bearing thereon, as the sleeve E is rotated, by means of the headed-screw A which is screwed into the end F 3 of the rod F, and has its head counter sunk in the end of the sleeve E and of the attached rotatable-disk or head B, as hereinbefore explained.

Each balanceovheel holder C consists of a tulmlar-barrel which is open at one end C and at the other end has a closed head C with a radial slot C open at the periphery and terminating at the axial portion of the head, and between this closed and slotted head C" and the opposite and open end C of the holder, the holder is cut away, as at C for a portion of opposite sides and between them in line with the radial slot C before referred to, see Figs. 41 and C is a peripheral flange at the open end of the tubular barrel or holder C. The drawings show five of the holders C, and they are severally of the construction described but they vary as to the its length and along its width of the radial slots C for the purpose of adapting them, and thereby one and the same tool for use to remove the rollers from balance-wheel staffs of varying sizes.

The several holders C are carried, in common, by the rotatable-head B which is suitably bored out, as at B to receive them, and have their several axes in separate horizontal parallel lines and in lines parallel to and at corresponding distances from the horizontal axial line of the head B, the rod F and the barrel A in which said rod F turns. The holders G are, smaller end, inserted at the rear side of said head in a bore B thereof and each is seated, by its flange C, on the shoulder B at the enlargement 13* of said bore, all so that each holder can be moved in and out of the headbore 13 in which it is placed within a given limit, and so that the several holders are secure against accidental escape from the head. Further the head B has inwardly projecting radial pins B properly spaced, and each of these pins engages a separate longitudinal peripheral grooves C of the flange C of a holder C and so while a holder is free for in and out movement as just above stated, it is held against rotation in the head-bore B containing it, and is always presented in the same position.

The plunger or ejector rod, for removing a staff-roller, is free to be moved lengthwise to and fro, within a given limit, along a horizontal tubular-way D which extends from end to end at the upper side of the barrel A and the axial lines of said rod and said way are coincident with each other and are each at a distance from the axial line of the barrel A and rotatable-head B corresponding to that of the several holders G therefrom.

D is a longitudinal slot at upper side of the barrel A and D* is a radial-pin of the ejector-rod D entering into said slot and the two cooperate together to hold said rod D against turning in the way D and to guide it and limit its forward slide along said way. The forward end D of the sliding ejector-rod D is conical in shape, and it has an axial socket D by which to enter the rod onto and thus engage it with the end of a balance-wheel stafi H, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The diameter of the ejector-rod D is such that it can be entered into and through the bore of a balancewheel holder C, when one is in line therewith, and the length of said rod is such that it can have sufficient forward movement for its conical-end D engaged with a staff H as stated, to secure the forcing of such staff out of its roller H and so to remove the roller from the staff; the roller, Fig. 1, at this time, being fixed in position and so held against movement by its resting against the inside face of the end-wall or each by its l a line coincident with I head C of the holder C, with the hub H of l the staff H lying within the radial slot C of said holder-head C and the balance-wheel H at the outer side thereof.

The rear end D of the ejector-rod D is situated for the cam E as its carryingsleeve E is rotated, to work against, and thus secure the forcing of the rod forward as described, and the rod D, otherwise than has been above explained, is of such length that with its forward end engaged with the rotatable-head B, holding it against turning, its opposite end can then extend into and be engaged with a socket E of the rotatablecam-sleeve E and so hold said sleeve and its cam against turning, while, at the same time, the rod D can be properly positioned for its operation as has been explained.

It is evident from the foregoing description, that, with the rotatable-head B released for movement, by disengaging the ejectorrod D therefrom, any one of the holders G can be placed and held in operative position for said rod to eject the stafi of the balancewheel carried by it from the roller, or in other words, to remove the roller, that the holder G positioned as above stated can be set out as shown, Fig. 1, from the other holders, by a simple outward drawing of it, which plainly is permissible, and thus the balance-wheel carried by it is set ofi or away from the other holders; that the several balance-wheel holders, varying as has been stated, permit the same tool to be used for varying sizes of balance-wheels; that any holder can be readily removed as may be desired for the substitution of another for it, or for any other reason; that the holders C act as receptacles to catch and retain or hold the removed roller as it drops from the staff; that the rotatable-head B may have any number of holders C, and that the ejector-rod D may be operated directly by the hand in lieu of by the rotatable cam-head E but it is preferable to operate it by a cam-head such as E K is a coiled spring contained in the socket of the rotatable cam-head E for automatically holding the ejector-rod F out of engagement with said cam-head. This spring K, however, may be dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. A tool, for removing watch-rollers from balance-wheel stafis, comprising a head, suitably supported, a tubular-holder for a balance-wheel, its stafi and roller which are carried by and projected from said head, and adapted to present the axial line of the staff along the axial line of the holder and to have the roller at rest flatwise against the outer end-wall thereof and a sliding ejectorrod suitably supported, with its axis along the axial line of said holder and which is arranged and adapted to be entered into said holder, and to act on the projecting end of the staff which is toward it, in combination with a rotatable cam, suitably supported, and which is arranged and adapted to operate on said ejector-rod and thereby to slide it forward into said tubular-holder and therein to work on the projecting end of the staff which is toward it.

2. A tool, for removing watch-rollers from balance-wheel staffs, comprising a rotatablehcad, suitably supported, and a plurality of tubular-holders for balance-wheels and their staffs and rollers, which are severally carried by and projected from said head, and are adapted to be moved outwardly and inwardly on the head, and have their several axes along parallel lines and at corresponding distances from and parallel with the axis of said holder and each adapted to present the axis of the staff which it holds along its axial line and to have the roller at rest flatwise against the outer end-wall thereof, in combination with a sliding ejector-rod, suitably supported, with its axis along a line at a corresponding distance from the axial line of said rotatable-head to that of said holders, and otherwise arranged and adapted to be entered into a holder of the said plurality of holders, which is placed in line therewith, and therein to act on the projecting end of the staff which is toward it.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT F. ROBBINS. Witnesses:

ALBERT lV. BROWN, MARION E. BROWN. 

